The present invention relates to trench drains or drainage channels used for the drainage of surface water or as ducting for cables and the like. Trench drains and similar drainage structures are used in a variety of environments, such as walkways, bike and foot paths, outdoor malls, parking lots, factories, airport tarmacs and other traffic environments which require the drainage of surface water or other fluids. Trench drains and drainage structures generally are known in the art as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,630,966; 4,699,544; 5,462,382 and 4,553,874, incorporated herein by reference, and typically include a series of generally U-shaped channel segments or units aligned end-to-end along an excavated trench, and fixed in place by concrete or the like. For trench drains to function properly it is important that they are installed with the proper alignment and pitch so that the connected segments form an effective flow path for the surface water, as well as to ensure that the upper edges lie substantially flush with the surface and even with each other so as to properly seat a surface grate. Ducting is created in the same manner as a trench drain except that the grating which allows the passage of surface water is replaced with a solid cover. In this way, the trench can be used to carry communications cables and the like rather than water.
There are numerous methods and devices known for installing drainage channels as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,878,782; 5,372,457; 5,226,748 and 5,522,675, incorporated herein by reference. Typically, the trench drain segments or units must be joined end-to-end in properly aligned fashion and then suspended and fixed in this position within the pre-excavated trench to enable the concrete to be poured into the trench and around the drainage channel without displacing the channel segments. In one such method, pairs of steel rods such as rebar are driven vertically into the bottom of the trench at appropriate distances to form two rows of support members along the length of the trench between which the drainage channel may be suspended. Next, a device capable of supporting or hanging the drainage channel segments from the support rods is either placed on each pair of support rods and secured in place to receive and support the channel segments within the trench, or affixed to a channel segment and then disposed on the support rods along with the channel segment. Once suspended, the channel segments can be adjusted vertically within the trench by disengaging the supporting device on the support rods and moving the device up or down on the rod to manually level and align the respective segments. Once the proper alignment is obtained, the supporting device is resecured to the support rod to suspend and fix the drainage channel in place so that it will not shift or float during final installation in concrete.
Because polymer concrete drainage channel sections can be heavy and difficult to manipulate, manual adjustment of the segments on the support rods is generally labor intensive, often requiring two or more workers. Accordingly, it would be advantageous if an installation device and method could improve the efficiency and accuracy with which drainage channels may be installed.